Bill Text: NJ S2948 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires school districts and child care centers to distribute information on Megan's Law and instructions on how to access the Megan's Law sex offender registry website.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-06-13 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S2948 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-S2948-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator DIANE B. ALLEN
District 7 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
Requires school districts and child care centers to distribute information on Megan's Law and instructions on how to access the Megan's Law sex offender registry website.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the distribution of certain information in school districts and licensed child care centers and supplementing chapter 36 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes and chapter 5B of Title 30 of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Each school district shall distribute by September 30 of each year information concerning the sex offender registry website, established pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2001, c.167 (C.2C:7-13), to the parents and guardians of students enrolled in preschool and grades kindergarten through 12. The information shall alert parents and guardians to the availability of the sex offender registry website and encourage them to access the website in order to better protect their children. The information shall include a general overview of the purpose of "Megan's Law" and instructions on how to access the sex offender registry website.
The information distributed by a school district pursuant to this section shall conform to the guidelines established pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. , (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
2. Each licensed child care center shall distribute by September 30 of each year information concerning the sex offender registry website, established pursuant to section 2 of P.L.2001, c.167 (C.2C:7-13), to the parents and guardians of children attending the child care center. The information shall alert parents and guardians to the availability of the sex offender registry website and encourage them to access the website in order to better protect their children. The information shall include a general overview of the purpose of "Megan's Law" and instructions on how to access the sex offender registry website.
The information distributed by a licensed child care center pursuant to this section shall conform to the guidelines established pursuant to section 3 of P.L. , c. , (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
3. The Commissioner of Education and the Commissioner of Children and Families shall jointly develop guidelines on the form and content of the information required to be distributed pursuant to sections 1 and 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
4. This act shall take effect on the 90th day after the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires school districts and licensed child care centers to distribute by September 30 of each year information on the sex offender registry, established pursuant to "Megan's Law," to the parents and guardians of children enrolled in schools and child care centers. The information would include a general overview of the purpose of "Megan's Law" and instructions on how to access the sex offender registry website.
Currently, upon adjudication or release from incarceration, information concerning sex offenders is required to be posted on the sex offender registry website, which serves to inform the public about the location of sex offenders within a municipality. The chief law enforcement officer of each municipality is required to also send notices to the community within 45 days of the sex offender's release. However, when a sex offender moves to a different community, there is no established timeframe for law enforcement officers to send the notices. Because the sex offender registry website provides immediate access to up-to-date information, this bill encourages parents and guardians to access the sex offender registry website to receive the most up-to-date information on the whereabouts of sex offenders in their communities to better protect their children.
